This invention relates to a circuit for controlling power to a motor and, more particularly, to such a circuit in which the voltage applied to the motor is increased from zero voltage to the maximum voltage over a preselected period of time. This invention is related to the following application assigned to the assignee of the present application and filed contemporaneously with it.
______________________________________ Appl. Ser. No. Inventor Title ______________________________________ 443,003 Jeffrey Reichard Reduced Voltage Starter with Power Factor Control Circuit 442,986 Earl Curran Reduced Voltage Starter with Linear Timed Acceleration 443,342 Richard Graefe Reduced Voltage Starter with Overload Protection 443,001 James Libert Reduced Voltage Starter ______________________________________
Many motor starting applications require that an induction motor or the like be gradually started over a preselected period of time. The very slow starts are best achieved by gradually increasing the voltage applied to the motor. At the same time, however, it is desired to place a limit on the maximum current to be drawn by the motor during starting.